Hesai and Grab forge strategic partnership to accelerate the large-scale application of LiDAR in Southeast Asia

On February 4, 2026, Hesai Group (NASDAQ: HSAI; HKEX: 2525), the global leader in LiDAR technology, announced a strategic partnership with Grab (NASDAQ: GRAB), the tech giant of Southeast Asia. Grab will become the exclusive distributor of Hesai’s LiDAR products in Southeast Asia, fully responsible for product sales, customer support, and marketing efforts in the region.

Through this strategic partnership, Hesai will leverage Grab's extensive resources and mature sales network to significantly enhance the market supply capacity of high-quality, highly reliable LiDAR sensors, allowing customers in Southeast Asia to access LiDAR products more conveniently and efficiently to meet the diverse industry needs including robotics solutions and autonomous driving systems. At the same time, as Hesai’s exclusive distributor in Southeast Asia, Grab will secure a stable and reliable technical supply for its autonomous mobility and high-definition mapping businesses.

Deloitte Southeast Asia previously predicted in the report 'Data Centers and AI Infrastructure Priorities in Southeast Asia: Seizing a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity' that the demand for AI-driven automation in the Southeast Asia region will see an unprecedented surge, particularly in manufacturing, transportation, and logistics industries. As a result, the application of LiDAR is expected to transition from the early validation phase to large-scale commercial deployment across the region.

Through this collaboration, Hesai and Grab will jointly promote the development of physical AI and embodied intelligence in Southeast Asia. Both parties will help various industries in Southeast Asia access this key foundational hardware technology, enabling smart devices to break through the limitations of digital intelligence and achieve safe and reliable physical operation in complex urban environments in Southeast Asia.

Hesai's LiDAR is installed on the front roof of the Ai.R autonomous fleet, which is currently operating on the streets of Punggol, Singapore.

Grab is the leading super app platform in Southeast Asia, covering three main business areas: delivery services, mobility, and digital financial services. Currently, Grab's services span over 800 cities across eight Southeast Asian countries - Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam - providing millions of users with daily services such as food delivery, grocery shopping, parcel delivery, ride-hailing, online payments, and financial services like lending and insurance through a single application.

Anthony Tan, co-founder and CEO of Grab Group, stated, 'By introducing world-leading LiDAR technology to Southeast Asia through this collaboration, Grab will not only enhance our own autonomous driving mobility and high-definition map construction capabilities but, more importantly, equip robots with 'intelligent eyes' to perceive the world, enabling them to 'see' and navigate safely. This will drive the widespread adoption and scaled application of 3D perception intelligence across various industries in Southeast Asia.'

Li Yifan, co-founder and CEO of Hesai, stated, 'LiDAR is a core technology for enabling autonomous perception and safe operation of robots. The current Southeast Asian market demonstrates strong demand in manufacturing, logistics, and service robots. Relying on our cooperation with Grab, we will meet local market needs with mature and reliable LiDAR technology, accelerating the deployment and large-scale application of LiDAR in robotic applications.'

Li Yifan, co-founder and CEO of Hesai, and Anthony Tan, co-founder and CEO of Grab Group.

To meet the growing demand for LiDAR, Hesai has increased its planned annual production capacity from 2 million units by 2025 to 4 million units by 2026, achieving a twofold increase. Additionally, the construction of Hesai’s new factory in Bangkok, Thailand – named 'Galileo' – is proceeding steadily, with production expected to commence in early 2027. The Galileo factory will further enhance Hesai’s global production capacity layout, strongly supporting future business growth.

Hesai's overseas factory in Thailand — 'Galileo'

Looking ahead, Hesai and Grab will continue to deepen their cooperation in market expansion and channel layout, working together to advance the scaled application of advanced LiDAR technology in the Southeast Asia region.

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